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The Paper Palace

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The Paper Palace

By: Miranda Cowley Heller
Narrated by: Laurel Lefkow
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

2 MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE

LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE 2022

A PAGE-TURNING SUMMERTIME READ FOR FANS OF WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING AND LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE

On a perfect August morning, Elle Bishop heads out for a swim in the pond below 'The Paper Palace' - her family's holiday home in Cape Cod. As she dives beneath the water she relives the passionate encounter she had the night before, against the side of the house that knows all her darkest secrets, while her husband and mother chatted to their guests inside...

So begins a story that unfolds over twenty-four hours and fifty years, as Elle's shocking betrayal leads her to a life-changing decision - and an ending you won't be able to stop thinking about.

'A deeply emotional love story that follows one day in the life of Elle Bishop as she navigates the unravelling of secrets, lies and a very complex love triangle' REESE WITHERSPOON

'Glorious and gorgeous. I was absolutely immersed and gripped and I'm devastated to have finished it' MARIAN KEYES

'Here is a love triangle that keeps you turning the pages' Rachel Joyce

'Utterly addictive' Rosamund Lupton

'Dry, sharp and with devastating depths plumbed so elegantly' Pandora Sykes

'Smart, atmospheric and seriously juicy' Stylist

'Earthy, intoxicating, shimmering' Sunday Times

©2021 Miranda Cowley Heller (P)2021 Penguin Audio
Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Heartfelt

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All stars
Most relevant  
An incredibly enjoyable listen. All the characters have depth and are interesting and believable. Very realistic dynamics & scrutiny of human behaviour & some exciting romance thrown in. Going between eras worked very well. I really loved it, pictured the whole thing in my head from the clever description of scenery and will be re listening.

Believable, intriguing, exciting loved it!

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This is an incredibly well told story. Each character comes to life. I was completely immersed in El’s world and thoughts and memories. Highly recommend this audible.

Gripping, heartbreaking and beautiful

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I loved this book. I was totally engaged. Great characters and really well written. 100% recommend.

Brilliant

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highly recommend. beautifully wtitten.
paints a picture so real you feel like you coukd be there yourself.

beautiful writing, a real treat for the senses.

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I enjoyed this book, the story is good but nothing hugely groundbreaking, but the language and detail is what makes it. The author paints an extremely vivid picture that pulls you right in and makes you feel like you're on the banks of the pond, right there with the characters

Very good storytelling

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Don’t really see what all the fuss is about, it was ok but not for me, back to crime!

5/10

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Absolutely brilliant. Total escapism! Would recommend to a book club. The big question what happens next…

Fantastic!

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The story moves between 24 hrs in current time and the past for the main character and her family and friend. It may be harder with the audio book than with print to tell immediately when the time of events has changed - I was sometimes a few “paragraphs” in before I would realise things had switched again but I listen as I do other things so not always 100% concentrating.
I found the characters and story line interesting and not boring as others suggested. It is not a fast plot driven type story, but more around character and the events of life and consequences. I enjoyed it a lot.

Enjoyable story

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It was ok but didn’t grip me like I thought it would. I wanted to know more about the childhood days and less in the present I think!

Underwhelming

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Every character is beautifully drawn, the prose is unabashed and direct but purposefully so and the story is compelling. An excellent read!

Excellent characterisations

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